Traditional Brazilian Recipes to Make in an American Kitchen

You can cook real Brazilian dishes with ingredients from any large grocery store. Focus on black beans, cassava flour alternatives, and simple swaps that keep the flavors intact.

Pantry Swaps That Work

Most Brazilian recipes call for items you already see on shelves. Black beans replace the exact variety used in Brazil. Tapioca starch stands in for sour cassava flour in breads.

• Dried black beans: soak overnight or use canned for speed
• Farofa: toast plain manioc flour or substitute cornmeal in a pinch
• Queijo minas: use mild white cheddar or farmer cheese
• Guava paste: find it in the international aisle or swap with thick apricot jam for sweets

Weeknight Feijoada

Traditional feijoada simmers for hours. Cut the time by using canned beans and a pressure cooker or slow cooker.

1. Rinse two cans of black beans and set aside.
2. Brown 1 lb smoked sausage and ½ lb pork shoulder chunks in a Dutch oven.
3. Add one chopped onion, three garlic cloves, two bay leaves, and one orange cut in half. Cook until the onion softens.
4. Pour in the beans plus 2 cups water or broth. Simmer 45 minutes or pressure cook 20 minutes.
5. Remove the orange halves. Salt to taste and serve over rice with orange slices on the side.

Cheese Bread and Brigadeiro

These two come together fast and use the same oven or stovetop.

Item	Ingredients	Steps
Pão de queijo (makes 20)	2 cups tapioca starch, 1 cup milk, ½ cup oil, 2 eggs, 1 cup shredded cheese, 1 tsp salt	Heat milk and oil, pour over starch, add eggs and cheese, scoop into balls, bake at 400°F for 20 minutes.
Brigadeiro (makes 15)	1 can sweetened condensed milk, 2 tbsp cocoa powder, 1 tbsp butter, chocolate sprinkles	Stir everything in a pan over medium heat until it pulls from the sides, cool, roll into balls, coat in sprinkles.